Marc Jacobs Calls Couture "Archaic"

Among the many reasons Marc Jacobs said no to leading the house of Dior? He thinks couture is "archaic."

Jacobs said that though he considered the position, and was flattered to be asked, he's happy at Vuitton. "I've been saying that for a long time," he said. "There have been on-and-off conversations about Dior. I don't know; maybe someday in the future, maybe years from now, I may end up going someplace else, maybe Dior. But right now I am at Vuitton."

Talks between Jacobs and Dior were said to have broken down in September, for reasons as varied as money, staffing and aesthetic, but Jacobs makes the discussions sound more casual than the media believed. His name has been replaced with Raf Simons', who's currently at Jil Sander. One reason the fashion pack's rooting for Sander is his obvious interest in couture, as demonstrated by his last two collections. It sounds like Jacobs couldn't be less interested in the art of couture: "The idea of couture doesn't hold that thing for me. It's archaic—in my opinion. I mean, I am really interested in the craftsmanship behind couture. But I can explore all that in ready-to-wear. With couture, one dress each season is photographed by a couple of magazines; there's no advertising; it reaches 20 customers. I don't feel there is anything lacking in what we do. I get to work with these amazing craftsmen. Maybe not the same ateliers that would make a couture dress, but, again, we are not in a deficit for working with people who create beautiful things. I am not sure I ever looked at couture as this great opportunity."

If Simons is in fact the next Dior designer, here's hoping an announcement's made before the end of the year.

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